Fire-extinguisher



(No Model.)

0. M. RADPORD. FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

No. 465,801. Patented Dec. 22. 1891.

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UNrTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CASSIUS M. RADFORD, OF- EAST CONCORD, NElV HAMPSHIRE.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,801, dated December22, 1891.

Application filed March 2, 1891.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, UASSIUS M. RADFORD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at East Concord, in thecountyof Merrimac and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Electric Releasing Devices forFire-Extinguishers and Chemical Generators for Same; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to releasing devices for valves in water orchemical fire-extinguishing pipes and to the automatic mixing of thechemicals in a generator at the time of a fire, the object being toobtain the best possible results from the chemicals by keeping themseparate until required for use and to prevent the accumulation of rustin the water-pipes by allowing them to remain empty and dry, except incase of fire in the apartments through which they run, when thesupply-valve is opened by the action of heat.

My improved system involves the use of a chemical generator having twocompartments, or a generator comprising two vessels for holding thechemicals, the contents of which are united by the application ofelectricity, and valves of suitable construction provided with acartridge for holding them closed and to be exploded by electricity foropening the same. -The electricity may be applied for the foregoingpurposes by means of thermostats located one in each apartment of abuilding, and thus operate my improved system automatically, or it maybe applied by other means at a safe distance from the burning apartment.

My invention will be fully set forth in the following specification andclaims and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming apart thereof, of which- Figure 1 represents one of my improved chemicalgenerators in broken elevation, showing a dischargepipe which may leadto various apartments in a building, to which is connected awater-supply pipe, and suitable valves which are supplied withmyimproved automatic electric-operating appliances. Fig. 2 is a brokenplan viewof the main pipe from generator, with branch pipes, and valvesSerial No. 383,434. (No model.)

which may be opened singly-upon occasion by my improved electricalappliances. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detached view of one of my improvedcartridges and a portion of the electric wires passing therein, by meansof which the cartridge is exploded for operating a valve. Fig. 4 is anenlarged detached sectional view of the vessel which is placed in agenerator and which contains one of the chemicals, and a cartridge withthe electric wires passing therein, by which the vessel is exploded andits contents precipitated upon the chemicals in the bottom of thechemical generator.

Similar reference letters indicate corresponding parts throughout thevarious views.

The chemical generator A may be of any desired size and provided withone or more dischargepipes B, to which a main conductor B may becoupled, from which any number of branch conductors B may be passed intovarious apartments. Near the top of this generator a concaved horizontaldivision or is provided, having an orifice a, connecting the upper withthelower compartment. The top or cover a of the generator is firmlysecured thereon, and should be packed or sealed, so as to preventleakage when the chemicals are being converted into gas. Pat-tot thechemicals might be deposited in the upper chamber of the generator byarranging a cover for the orifice a, which could be opened byelectricity; but I prefer to use for this purpose a separate vessel A,the lower part of which is made somewhat thinner than its remainder, andin the small and thin bottom portion is placed a cartridge A which maybe exploded by means of electric wires passing through the cover a ofthe generator down through the neck of the vessel A and into saidcartridge, the said vessel A being suspended from the cover a of thegenerator A. If desired,the neck of the vessel A maybe sealed, inaddition to an ordinary cork, by plaster-ofparis or its equivalent,which at the same time will seal the neck of said vessel to the cover aand also fill up and seal the opening in said cover through which theelectric wires leading to the cartridge pass, as shown in Fig. 1.

Valves 0 are supplied upon all the conductors B and their branches B ofthe construction shown at O of the main conductor B, Fig. 1, havingvalve-handles 0, provided 1 with weights 0 at their outer end, and thesemay be arranged so that the valve is closed when said handle iselevated, and open by force of gravity, or vice versa. Thesevalvehandles are held up by supports D, consisting of two props d,united bymeans of a shell (1, which may be composed of glass, wood, orcardboard, containing any convenient explosive or combustible material,as shown in Fig. 3. These shells d are exploded by electricity passingupon wires, which enter the shells and are connected therein by a pieceof platinum wire 6, which ignites the explosives, thus breaking theshell and causing the props d to become separated and to fall.

Various supports D may be applied to the pipes at the points required tocarry the lower end of the valve-handle supports D, as indicated.

From a battery X two wires E E are passed through a building, taking thecourse of the main pipe or conductor B. Of these two Wires the wire E isconnected with the shell d of the valve 0 in the manner shown in Fig. 3,said wire passing thence to and connecting in the same manner with thecartridge a of the chemical-jar A, located within the generator A.

Each branch conductor B will be provided with a valve 0, havingcounterweighted handles c, which are held elevated by an explosive propD.

The wires E E are disconnected, except at the time of fire being presentat any point along the line, and then they are instantly connected inthe following manner Abranch wire e, connecting with a cartridge, asseen in Fig. 3, is attached to the wire E and a branch 6 to the wire E,and their free ends Y are connected with a thermostat in a manner tocause them to complete a circuit from the battery through both wires E Eat such time as the temperature shall have reached a given point, atwhich time the valve 0 atgenerator is instantly opened and the chemicalsin the jar A precipitated upon those in the lower part of the generatorand allowing the pressure of gas free exit through the conductors B BBto the apartment where the fire is. In case the use of water may be alsodesired a check-valve C will be placed upon the pipe 13 to prevent theentrance of water to the generator and a water-conductor B conn ectedwith the pipe B at a point forward of said check-valve, and upon thiswater-conductor B may be placed one or more of the valves 0, whosevalve-handle props D will be exploded by independent wires E, which maybe operated 'at a safe distance from the fire.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- Ina fire-extinguisher,the combination, with a gas-generator, of pipes communicatingtherewith,provided with weighted valves, a support on the pipe for each valve, aseparable prop for each valve, one end of which rests upon I the supportand the other end engages with the weighted portion of the valve, saidprop comprising a shell and two end pieces projecting from the shell, anexplosive in. the shell, and the wires of an electrical circuitcommunicating with the explosive within the shell.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, CASSIUS M. RADFORD.

lVitnesses:

J. B. THURSTON, D. F. DUDLEY.

